In Brief: Avalanches kill 37 in Afghanistan

Children are exposed to cold weather in a makeshift settlement in Kabul

KABUL, 6 March 2012 (IRIN) - Avalanches killed 37 people and injured six in a remote part of the northeastern Afghan governorate of Badakshan on 5 March, according to Abdul Marouf Rasekh, a spokesperson for Badakhshan’s governor.

The governor, who was visiting the area at the time, was trapped for hours before a helicopter rescued him. He was taken to the other side of the border in Tajikistan.

“Right now 20 houses are completely covered with snow in Shirinazm village of Shekai District and hundreds of other people are at risk of being trapped or killed by avalanches,” Rasekh told IRIN, adding that Nesay District, close to the Tajik border, was also at risk.

“Right now we are having an emergency meeting in the provincial capital, Faizabad, to find a way of helping the people in those remote districts,” said Rasekh, adding that they would definitely need help from the UN and international aid organizations, though access would have to be by helicopter or via Tajikistan.